Chapter 152
After much deliberation, Kim Suho arrived at a remarkably simple conclusion.
“Ultimately, a decisive victory that can silence all discontent… In other words, a great achievement is necessary.”
Only with such an accomplishment could he either end or save the Republic of Korea.
If things continued as they were, the Han River Defense Line led by Kim Suho would end up drowning in the very river it was meant to defend.
Thus, Kim Suho gathered all the forces he could muster…
“An expedition.”
He planned an expedition to Gangbuk.
While various factions had covertly collaborated to reclaim Gangnam, Kim Suho intended to reclaim Gangbuk, thereby fully recapturing Seoul.
This would essentially declare the resurrection of the Republic of Korea, something longed for by those who had been parasitic upon it.
He believed it would be impossible to refuse, and the high-ranking officials, unable to outright reject Kim Suho’s Seoul recapture operation, reluctantly declared their support.
In other words, the only troops he could truly count on were those loyal to him.
“At last, the time has come.”
“Yes. If we can reclaim Gangbuk and retake Seoul, we can move forward.”
Kim Suho was brimming with confidence, certain that defeat was not an option.
Believing that reclaiming Seoul would enable him to achieve greater things, he began to devote all his efforts to the operation.
First, he declared his plan to lead an expedition to Gangbuk with those who followed him, leaving behind only the necessary forces to defend the Han River Defense Line.
Then, advancing more smoothly than anticipated, Kim Suho succeeded in reclaiming Yongsan and even pushed beyond Seoul Station to reach Myeong-dong.
In a truly unstoppable advance, Kim Suho and his forces demonstrated their prowess across the Korean Peninsula, proving that he was indeed the white horse-riding superhuman who had appeared in this apocalypse.
“Of course, Myeong-dong was only a reconnaissance; our base camp remains in Yongsan. But we can certainly proclaim that we’ve surpassed Seoul Station.”
Though he had advanced to Myeong-dong, the only area where Kim Suho had established a proper stronghold was Yongsan, the former site of the presidential office.
However, the fact that he had reached Myeong-dong meant he had arrived at the heart of Seoul, beyond Seoul Station, and had advanced through numerous battles without a single defeat.
This demonstrated the real possibility of reclaiming Seoul, and public opinion in Gangnam, which had been wavering, gradually turned favorable toward Kim Suho.
“Now, no one can deny us.”
“Yes. Although the surroundings haven’t been fully secured and many formidable named enemies remain, if we continue to clear them out, we can reclaim Seoul.”
However, readers of this text would already know.
That Kim Suho, who had advanced to Myeong-dong, ultimately suffered defeat and retreated to the Han River Defense Line.
The truth began with the revelation of a horrifying and beastly act.
“Sir, we have a major problem!”
“What is it? Don’t tell me… our established base camp has been attacked…”
“We’ve detected suspicious movements at the Han River Defense Line. As you advanced to Myeong-dong, their behavior became increasingly unstable!”
Yes, it was betrayal.
The moment it seemed certain that Kim Suho would reclaim Seoul, the factions entrenched in Gangnam betrayed him.
They betrayed Kim Suho’s goodwill, preparing to stab him in the back at his moment of exhaustion.
The National Intelligence Service detected their movements and informed Kim Suho of this fact.
However, upon receiving this report, Kim Suho…
“What did you say?”
“It means they might betray us.”
It was news so absurd that it turned his mind blank.
He looked at the NIS agent with disbelief, but the agent confirmed that he hadn’t misheard and that betrayal was indeed possible, revealing the cruel truth to Kim Suho.
Betrayal, betrayal, betrayal, betrayal.
Kim Suho felt as if something snapped in his mind.
“Th-that’s impossible. Surely, as humans, they wouldn’t betray someone who saved them, would they?”
At first, he denied the report.
He wanted to deny it.
Despite all his efforts, what he received in return was betrayal once again.
No matter how much of a pushover Kim Suho might be, this was an unforgivable act of betrayal.
After all, they had betrayed the most crucial holy war in the Republic of Korea.
“Do you know how much I’ve endured? How much I’ve held back? Why do you always betray me?”
However, that emotion soon turned into anger.
Perhaps they were not satisfied.
In this apocalypse, compromise was necessary, and Kim Suho, who had reluctantly learned politics, had compromised and satisfied their desires.
He had even allowed policies that were like cutting his own flesh, such as empowering other factions, showing how much he had compromised and worked hard… only to be betrayed.
At that moment, Kim Suho harbored murderous intent toward them.
“If the Han River Defense Line falls under their control, we’ll be annihilated!”
But as soon as he felt murderous intent, the emotion that followed was fear.
Eliminating the traitors was fine.
However, that would mean the Han River Defense Line, which they managed, would become Kim Suho’s enemy, and he would have to breach the very defense line he had designed.
Of course, their ragtag forces couldn’t withstand Kim Suho’s army.
Kim Suho was confident he could break through the Han River Defense Line alone, but doing so would cause its collapse, leading to the downfall of the organizations based in Gangnam.
“What do they want? They must be demanding something from me again. Tell me what their demands are!”
“Sir…”
Thus, the next emotion Kim Suho felt was bargaining. He wanted to plead with them not to betray him, willing to give them whatever they wanted.
His sharp mind realized that the Han River Defense Line was already half-collapsed due to the foolish choices of these beasts, but he still sought ways to prevent its complete collapse through negotiation.
“Haha. Is it true? Are they really showing signs of betraying me?”
But eventually, he resigned himself.
He didn’t want to believe the NIS report.
However, all circumstances and experiences indicated it was true, and all Kim Suho could do was…
“…Let’s admit it. We have no choice but to accept it. Denying this situation any further would be crossing the line. They are indeed capable of such acts.”
He ultimately acknowledged that they were not humans but beasts.
“What should we do now?”
“Even if you ask us…”
“We don’t know.”
The NIS also seemed flustered by the behavior of those who failed as humans but passed as beasts, and everyone let out gloomy remarks, saying they had no idea how to act going forward.
Well, who could have expected that—because they were human—they would forget all kindness and stab you in the back?
No matter how dissatisfied they were, reclaiming Seoul must’ve been everyone’s wish, yet choosing betrayal and planting bullets? No one could have imagined that.
If the NIS hadn’t secretly deployed agents to defend the Han River, Kim Suho’s forces would have been wiped out in a two-front war.
‘What am I supposed to do politically in a situation like this? What even is politics? Damn it! If only I had an advisor who could give me political counsel!’
The problem was, Kim Suho didn’t have anyone under him who could give political advice.
Those people had either already formed their own factions—or stabbed him in the back.
“Goddamn beasts.”
“Please watch your language.”
“But, Your Excellency, think about what those bastards have done! They’re extremists, no better than beasts that passed!”
In the end, even the NIS, having witnessed their actions, lost patience and erupted in anger.
They declared that they wanted to execute the traitors currently stationed at the Han River Defense Line—even calling them beasts, not humans.
“Think about the conspiracy theories they’ve thrown at Your Excellency! And their pathetic whining on community forums without grasping the bleak reality—it’s absurd!”
These were people without trust or loyalty—just chasing after their own greed.
Even if this was an era devoid of justice and morality… no, precisely because it was such an era—shouldn’t people at least keep their word?
“…We’re blocked.”
Above all, they betrayed when spared, betrayed when released, betrayed when helped, betrayed when allied. There were only people who betrayed after being trusted.
Kim Suho thought the situation was completely blocked, and that even if he returned now, things would not revert to how they were before the expedition.
His forces had already decided to abandon the Republic of Korea, while the others had declared they would protect that tattered signboard of a nation.
A civil war was inevitable.
‘At this rate, we can’t proceed with the expedition. We barely reclaimed Myeong-dong, but without support from Gangnam, we can’t hold this front.’
Kim Suho thought he couldn’t maintain the Myeong-dong front and considered abandoning the expedition and returning.
‘Was this expedition too reckless to begin with?’
At the same time, thinking about the current state of Gangnam, he wondered if he had overreached.
‘The real problem is that I can’t leave for a homecoming campaign. At this rate, even maintaining the status quo is the limit!’
Now, factoring in betrayal from Gangnam and the Han River Defense Line, Kim Suho realized he himself must always be present at the front.
The issue was, Kim Suho was the strongest Awakener in Seoul—and such a person must now be used to prepare for civil war.
It was a truly maddening situation, and Kim Suho judged that maintaining the status quo was the most they could hope for.
“Would reclaiming all of Gangbuk at once be too much?”
“It’s impossible. The resistance from the undead is fierce.”
“We don’t have enough troops.”
“I see.”
He briefly considered using momentum to wipe out the undead in Gangbuk and base operations there.
But the answer that came back was a lack of strength.
Although Kim Suho’s unit was elite, it was very small in number.
It was enough for a decapitation strike, but not for gaining and securing territory.
‘The answer was already clear.’
In truth, the method to resolve this had already been proposed.
‘The Balhut Cult. Others call them a doomsday cult and traitors, and all forces in Gangnam have drawn a line from them—but they alone accepted the collapse of the Republic of Korea and this Apocalypse.’
That alone solved half the problem.
‘If people could just accept that the Republic has collapsed and vanished, they would also realize that authority and titles from before the Apocalypse are meaningless. And the law! The old laws have no power in this new world. Almost nothing can be justified with them anymore. We need new laws suited for the Apocalypse. And I need people loyal to me like the NIS.’
Only if he completed all these reforms could he move forward.
‘Like the Balhut Cult, we should’ve finished internal negotiations and sorting before making a move! I accepted just anyone in desperation—and this mess is the result! But can we go back now and copy the Balhut Cult’s answer sheet? In this already settled situation? It’ll only bring resistance.’
So Kim Suho reached a conclusion.
“A shame… but I’m calling off the expedition.”
“Your Excellency, are you alright with that? Those bastards will definitely curse you for backing down.”
“And they’ll likely try to present themselves as the leaders of the Han River Defense Line. Even if we return, maintaining the expedition force may be better…”
He would abandon the expedition and return to the Han River Defense Line.
All of Kim Suho’s loyal subordinates looked worried at his decision and warned him that he might lose control of the defense line.
“I know. That’s exactly why I’m retreating. Pressing forward now would only waste soldiers. Reclaiming Seoul is out of the question. Then at least, I should open their eyes to reality.”
Kim Suho already knew.
In fact, losing control of the Han River Defense Line might have been part of his plan.
“If Seoul is overrun, we’ll need a fallback city. Let them have the Defense Line. We’ll strike a different city to use as an evacuation shelter.”
From now on, all the responsibility for the Han River Defense Line would fall on them.
And Kim Suho hoped that this would make them realize the reality he’d been facing—and quietly began devising a backup plan he hadn’t previously considered.
“Is that really okay? But Gangbuk…”
“We’ll abandon it. But the Republic of Korea isn’t over yet. Even if it has reached its end, I won’t let it end at the hands of those beasts.”
The Republic was over.
No one could deny that—and even Kim Suho, who had benefited greatly from it, did not deny it.
But Kim Suho swore that those beasts would not be the ones to bring down what remained of the Republic.
“They’ll stab you in the back. They’ve already betrayed us.”
The NIS warned him that his life would be in danger.
“Backstab me? Sure, let them try! If they end up defending Seoul and saving its people in my place, then I’ll welcome it!
Then this Seoul will not become a sinking ship clinging to politics and false authority—it will stand tall and burn with dignity!”
He laughed heartily, saying they were welcome to try as much as they liked.
If someone was capable of defeating Kim Suho, then they were a stronger Awakener than he was.
And that strength would be enough to crush those beasts and defend Seoul and its citizens.
So he declared that Seoul would not collapse due to the chronic diseases of the Republic—it would rise on its own feet and fall gloriously.
“For that, I’ll release everything I’ve been holding back. It’s chaos now! Time for the suppressed beasts to rise up!”
For that purpose, Kim Suho said he would unleash the solitude and power he had been holding in check—and let it run wild.
He declared he would also lift all restrictions on his regional influence—thus beginning an era of endless chaos across the peninsula.
“Let a hero be born—one who topples those beasts and ends this nation.”
“Your Excellency, we will follow you.”
And amidst that chaos, they sincerely wished for the birth of a great hero.
—
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